Freedom Writers is a "based on a true story"-film scripted from the unecessarily long-titled book The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them by Erin Gruwell. It's the very typical "white people don't understand minorities so how can white people teach them?" story usually reserved for the primetime movie of the week slot on Lifetime.
Set in Long Beach, Calif. after the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Freedom Writers features high-schoolers trying to cope with the rising threat of interracial gang violence that paralyzed much of Southern California and the teacher (Hilary Swank as Gruwell) determined to save them. She uses journals as a way for the kids to connect and express their frustration with their harrowing lives.
As can be expected, there is a side story involving the personal problems of someone close to Gruwell-in this instance, a subtle Patrick Dempsey as Gruwell's husband. And how could you have an inspirational high school film without the boss (Imelda Staunton as a department head) who will not tolerate non-traditional teaching styles and the protaganist-teacher's success?
Freedom Writers manages to avoid "death by cheese" by using actual journal excerpts rather than turning to too many dramatic breakdown/revelation monologues, but still manages to beat you over the head with the tender-hearted moments.
The attempt to combine the interracial tension of Crash and the warm-and-fuzzies of Dead Poets Society doesn't quite come to fruition, but the film still manages to leave you with that happy, hopeful feeling that makes you want to donate five bucks to the Red Cross.
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